Portable Plants & Equipment , March 2016

Do Consider where you put your crushing plant Place the crusher where it makes most sense Dobler says Also consider if a portable setup is the way to go and what type of crusher matches your rocks needs You could be anywhere from operating costs that are two to three times higher with an impact crusher versus a cone crusher assuming youre in low abrasion rock he says And thats just on the wear parts alone Do Design conveyors as wide and as slow as possible to improve the lifecycle and reduce operating costs This reduces the need for rock boxes and def lectors says Dobler who recommends producers only use rock boxes and deflectors if they absolutely must A rock box or a deflector is something you install at a transition point between two things Dobler says Theyre a means to essentially slow down material and redirect it So rather than run narrower conveyor belts that operate at higher speeds Dobler recommends employing wider belts that run at slower speeds This approach generally offers much better material flow he says Then you dont need more complicated rock boxes or deflector systems Dobler says Transition points are simplified By definition you will have much simpler transfer points within the plant and there will be less wear on it Dont Stack conveyors on top of one other If producers do this theyll leave little to no access for maintenance crews Producers always try to save costs by setting up nice and tight but quarries and mines typically have equipment that needs maintenance Dobler says Youre always going to be replacing parts and wear parts We always recommend having equipment set up in a way that its easy to get to these areas Dont Feed material at an angle or change the feed direction ahead of equipment As an example material thats flowing toward a screen box should be directed to it in a straight line Dobler says You want the conveyor to discharge parallel to the flow of the material going down the screen he says Material should enter a crushing chamber in the same fashion If material is suddenly diverted on a conveyor belt at a sharp angle producers may shift the balance of material entering the crusher In a crusher the crushing chamber is going around in a circle and the crusher is closing up in one location Dobler says Once you have segregation in that chamber one side is coarse and the other is fine Over time your components will feel that and they will fail The same logic applies to impact crushers Dobler adds CRUSHING How producers feed their crusher has lasting effects on the product they make With all of the coarse material on one side and all of the fine on the other wear parts will wear faster on one side and not as fast on the other he says Do Keep detailed records of equipment maintenance and check data trends to extend equipment life Take a concept as simple as bearing vibrations If producers regularly measure bearing vibration on any bearing assembly and note changes Dobler says they should be able to predict when that assembly has reached its limit The same thing applies to a bushing in the crusher he says If youre measuring the plate between the crusher and doing it over time you can see the change Youll know what the limit is and be able to know when you hit the limit Operations will be more efficient when producers can forecast such changes too The idea is to predict when youre going to need a new component rather than undertake one certain maintenance task Dobler says Its like youre going in to change a liner on a crusher and you see a dust shield thats worn out and needs replaced The option is to wait a day for the part to come but then youre doing two long interventions instead of one short intervention PP E www portableplants com March 2016 PP E 31

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